Escape to the Movies: Pain & Gain

[Atary77]

I am taking issue with the statement Bob made saying that the story was "mostly true."

Marc Schiller, the victim and character played by Tony Shaloub, did plead guilty in 1999 to one count of Medicare Fraud, but, before then he was beaten, tortured, and extorted for a full month before he escaped. Also, Mr. Schiller's lifestyle was nothing like what is portrayed in the film. In fact, during Mr. Schiller's sentencing, the judge himself spoke in Mr. Schiller's defense, and gave him the lightest punishment available by law.

When Mr. Schiller first gave his testimony to police, they doubted him, likely because of the ongoing federal investigation he was under and because of the absurdity of his story. However, Lugo (Marky Mark) and company succeeded in successfully killing their next victims while the police were sitting on their thumbs.

Frank Griga and his girlfriend Krisztina Furton were completely innocent and were brutally murdered by Lugo and his accomplices months later. To portray Marky Mark as a bumbling mischief maker is simply wrong in this film, in reality his character was a cold sociopath. This is the full story here, which takes a sociopath to see as anything other than a tragedy.

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1999-12-23/news/pain-gain/

I'm surprised you're the only one so far who has made any mention of the real life events Bay based this film on. I find it very disturbing that Bay would make such light of what really is a brutal and horrible crime where families of the victims are still around to see this.

 

[Xelien]

These kinds of movies are just pure turn off to me. I do think you might be reading too much into it, but I get the appeal of watching macho power hyper-fantasy stuff like this. It's the same way I can enjoy the cheesiest and most predictable rom-coms out there. At least Michael Bay is doing something other than Transformers haha.

 

[LiquidGrape]

Oh hey, Marky-mark! The dude who blinded a Vietnamese man with a sharp stick but never bothered to track him down afterwards because he'd "forgiven himself."

Remind me why anyone should support that man's work?

 

[AlwaysPractical]

Well there was one line in the trailer that killed me ever seeing this, "This guy understands me.". If I can't root for the hero or villain then why am I watching?

That's kind of the joke in this case, so says Bob at least. Watch the movie to see all the characters in it suffer horrible fates so that you can feel that justice has been served.

 

[blackrave]

Transformers4?
No, no, no Bob.
Not Transformers4
TMNT, Bob, Teenage Mutherfucking Ninja Turtles, dammit!!!
And now for some unexplained reasons I am pissed as shit
And I suddenly regret uninstalling Postal2

 

[5mj7R7yf4Dwr3gdZyyu9PeGNwYjlNrjzuh3iTXQG]

Changing the subject for a moment here (to other films that were briefly mentioned) one of the things I particularly noticed about The Island was its conspicuous lack of Hollywood-style fireballs. It came to my attention when on the DVD the splash is of McGregor and Johansson fleeing a giant fireball. This never happens in the film, because nothing ever explodes like a fuel-pile in the film. Did anyone else ever notice that? We are talking about a Michael Bay film.

Regarding the new Percy Jackson film, I'd like it if they did the source material justice, which the first film most certainly did not. I suspect that unlike Harry Potter, in which Rowling retained total control over the IP, and insisted that the movies follow her vision. I suspect that Riordan either didn't or couldn't arrange a similar control over his own IP.

238U

 

[Markunator]

Couldn't resist taking a shot at Paul Ryan, could you? Fair enough, though I submit to you that he would make a far better VP than than the four most recent occupants of that position.

Then I submit to you that you are wrong. Just watch any given one of The Young Turks' videos on Paul Ryan.

 

[Urameshi13]

Oh yes, the intellectual might that is TYT. I take that schmuck about as seriously as I take Limbaugh and every other politically-charged blowhard (not very).

 

[Gorbachof]

"Like a cross between Captain America and Joe Friday..." THAT, sounds like an interesting character.